Alliance and SK Gaming secured their stranglehold on the League Championship Series in the third week of European play, each posting 2-0 records to bolster their league-leading 7-1 and 6-2 records, respectively.
While SK Gaming had a relatively easy schedule, Alliance came face-to-face with the only team that’s bested them so far in this young season, Supa Hot Crew, and unceremoniously ended the rising team’s three-game win streak.
Both SK Gaming and Alliance looked nigh untouchable this week and almost seem like locks to finish in the top two this season. But anything can happen.
Despite the loss to Alliance, where Supa Hot Crew’s star mid laner Marcin “SELFIE” Woslki looked out of sorts on Ziggs against Henrik “Froggen” Hansen and Anivia, Supa Hot Crew outlasted Fnatic in a fifty minute marathon to prove their early season success is hardly a fluke. They now sit at 5-3, and are really just two Nidalee spears away from second considering how close their loss to SK Gaming really was in week one.
Fnatic, the defending champions, sit at 4-4 after the loss to Supa Hot Crew. They turned in an unconvincing win over the last placed team in the league, ROCCAT, one that didn’t inspire much confidence in their chances to return to championship form.
If Fnatic wants to break into the top three, next week will be their chance: they face both Alliance and SK Gaming. While we’re only just under one third through the 28 game season, Fnatic won’t have that many more chances to make a move to break into the top three and earn a shot at the world championships.
Millenium also sits at 4-4, but looks out of sorts against SK Gaming this week. Their 3-1 first week is now a thing of the past, and while they look like a solid mid level LCS team, they’ll need to get more consistent if they want to advance further.
The bottom of the table features the 3-5 Gambit Gaming, 2-6 Copenhagen Wolves, and the aforementioned 1-7 ROCCAT, who went from cinderella contenders last split to the lowest ranked team thus far.
Gambit Gaming secured their roster by finalizing the addition of mid laner Sebastian “niQ” Robak, and the man has played admirably in place of the departed Alex Ichetovkin. After week one they looked destined for relegation, but a playoff spot looks in the cards right now. And in the playoffs, anything can happen.
The hot list
SK Gaming jungler Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen turned in an impressive performance this week with two games on Lee Sin, posting a 9/2/14 KDA line, including an absolute blitzkrieg against Gambit Gaming, where he posted 8 kills and 9 assists.
The man of the week, though, has to be Alliance mid laner Henrik “Froggen” Hansen. Hansen played his favorite champion, Anivia, long unseen in LCS play, and won two convincing matches in large part due to that champion’s icy talents. Hansen’s 8/1/13 KDA line was one of the best of the week.
The not list
Millenium’s stat lines this week overall look fine thanks to feasting on a weak pack of wolves. But their match against SK Gaming was a disaster, with the team combining for just 2 kills and a whopping 16 deaths. High hopes after a 3-1 first week are dissipating with performances like that.
This was Copenhagen Wolves’ chance to turn things around. Last week they secured a win over ROCCAT, taking them out of last place. This week they had Gambit Gaming and Millenium, the two teams directly above them, on the schedule, and they blew it. While Pawel “Woolite” Pruski looks like a talented marksman, and new jungler Karim “Airwaks” Benghalia has shown a penchant for playmaking, it’s become clear: Copenhagen Wolves simply doesn’t have enough to compete this split.
Random stat of the week
The team that secured the first tower won every match this week in Europe.
Screengrab via Riot Games/YouTube
